The Friendship Court Advisory Committee selected Harkins Builders as the general contractor for pre-construction services for Phase One of the redevelopment. The process, which lasted throughout the summer of 2018, began with Piedmont Housing Alliance publishing an RFP, inviting qualified general contractors to apply. Piedmont Housing staff and the Friendship Court Advisory Committee reviewed proposals and conducted interviews with each builder interested in the work. Each firm went before the Advisory Committee and gave a presentation on their experience and a narrative on how they would approach the Friendship Court redevelopment. At the conclusion of the interviews, the Committee discussed the merits of each firm. After much deliberation, the Advisory Committee selected Harkins Builders due to their deep experience and clear commitment to building high quality affordable housing.

Harkins Builders, based in Columbia, Md. has a large dedicated division focused on the construction of affordable housing throughout the mid-Atlantic region, from Baltimore to Richmond to Charlotte to Philadelphia. Their expertise and organizational dedication to developing affordable housing is the primary reason the company was selected to work with the Advisory Committee and the rest of the design team to begin the redevelopment of Friendship Court.